Tourists collapse to 15 for three after Prior ton puts England on top

Prior shines on Day Three at Nottingham

Tourists collapse to 15 for three after Prior ton puts England on top

Pakistan were 15 for three, needing a further 420 runs for what would be a world record fourth innings victory total of 435, at stumps on the third day of the first Test against England at Trent Bridge here on Saturday.

Imran Farhat was six not out and Mohammad Aamer nought not out. Earlier, Matt Prior's unbeaten 102 left Pakistan needing a world-record 435 to win the first Test at Trent Bridge.

Prior took guard at 72 for five, after Umar Gul (three for 41) had added wickets to the 65 not out he made from number nine to help the tourists avoid the follow-on this morning.

Matt Prior of England celebrates silently after reaching his hundred against Pakistan on the third day of the first Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday. PIC/AFP

England were 98 for six before tea. But Prior shared stands of 49 with Graeme Swann, 56 with Stuart Broad and then an unbroken 49 with last man Steven Finn in reaching his third Test hundred from his 136th ball, having hit seven fours and two sixes.

Gul had followed his maiden 50 in any form of cricket with a rush of three wickets for seven runs in early afternoon as England's top order found batting tough under heavy cloud cover.

But Prior responded with a chanceless innings, capped by two sixes in three balls in the company of number 11 Finn off the leg-breaks of Danish Kaneria.

The wicketkeeper helped England to almost quadruple their total before his cut for three off Shoaib Malik brought a declaration on 262 for nine to leave Pakistan with half an hour tonight and two further days to pull off their highly improbable task.

Finn stayed put for 50 minutes to allow Prior to move from 63 to three figures, despite his senior partner seven times taking a single from the first ball of an over as Pakistan tried to make life difficult.

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